Shadow Prince
by the real Violet Parr
Summary: Of course Violet has a double life...but she never imagined Tony did too.
1. Prologue

Yes, I'm back. A grain of plot for this story's been floating around in my head for a while now, but I'd been so busy with everything else that I hadn't had time to work on this any. But now I need a new project, so here it is. (Note: this has nothing to do with my Team Dynamo stories.) I know the prologue is short, but for once I've worked on a story before posting it, so I've got about six chapters done. Updates should be pretty frequent if school doesn't get in the way. Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

It was late evening, and shadows were just appearing around the edges of Metroville. Everything seemed to be normal - except for a tall, wiry man slinking toward the bus stop where several people sat waiting.

Creeping silently toward a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair and a stack of luggage, the man slipped behind her and with nimble fingers grabbed her purse from atop her suitcase and scampered away. By the time she had figured out her purse was missing he was long gone, melting into the shadows as if he'd never been there.

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Several minutes later the man crouched on the roof of a building, dumping out the contents of the purse as he searched for valuables. There was a smirk of satisfaction at escaping without being caught on his face.

Suddenly a voice boomed out of the dark. "You know, you can tell a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse, but maybe that's not what you had in mind."

Jumping up, the man's eyes bugged out in terror as he backed up against a Dumpster. Mr. Incredible, one of the most famous supers in the world! _Oh great! I'm so dead._

He pulled out a gun and held it out in front of his body, though even to him the gesture didn't seem threatening. "Hey, look..."

Before he could do anything else a fist shot out of nowhere and gave him an uppercut to the chin, and everything went black.

For a few seconds he stayed knocked out cold, then his brain and ears awoke, but his head hurt too much for him to move or even open his eyes. So he lay there, listening to Mr. Incredible talk to the person who'd punched him out - obviously a woman, judging by her voice.

After a few minutes they began arguing about who was responsible for catching him. The man finally couldn't stand listening to their bickering anymore and staggered up to mumble "Hey, look, the lady got me first" before once again being knocked out by the woman. This time he was unconscious longer.

When he came to for the second time, Mr. Incredible was handcuffing him to the Dumpster. "You stay here. They usually pick up the garbage in an hour."

The thief couldn't believe it. He, Anthony "the Shadow" Rydinger, had been caught! And by Mr. Incredible of all people! _I'll never live this down._

Sure enough, about an hour later a garbage man arrived and discovered him. The police came soon after that and took him away, but Anthony Rydinger couldn't think of anything except revenge. Mr. Incredible would pay for locking "the Shadow" up. Oh yes, he would pay. And dearly.

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Reviews are wonderful things that make me happy. When I'm happy I update faster.


	2. Hiding Something

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, Inspector Brown, RubyVulpix, and 100Insane for reviewing! Oh, and in this story Violet and Tony are freshmen in high school

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**Chapter 1: Hiding Something**_  
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_Sixteen years later..._

"Violet, wait up!" called Tony Rydinger as his girlfriend passed the classroom he had just been dismissed from. She turned around to face him, her blue eyes smiling.

"Hi, Tony," she greeted him. "Haven't seen you much today."

Nodding, Tony replied, "I know. I wish we had more classes together. At least it's lunch now."

Side by side they headed for the cafeteria, catching up on each other's weekend. Tony had been in Sacramento for a day and a half, visiting family, and Violet had just been relaxing at home. As they got their lunches and sat down at a table Violet asked, "So are we going out on Saturday night?"

"Um, no, actually, I have something else I have to do," replied Tony quickly. Violet noticed that although he was still smiling he refused to look her in the eyes.

However, she dismissed it as nothing and shrugged. "Okay. How about Sunday afternoon?"

"Yeah, that works." Tony changed the subject. "You have bio next, right?"

"Ugh, yes," groaned Violet. "I'd much rather go to English with you."

Grinning, Tony said, "Yeah, you would." English was one of Violet's favorite classes because she wrote poetry and short stories in her spare time and she liked to read. "Would you still want to come if it wasn't English?"

Violet smiled and slapped him half-heartedly on the shoulder. "Of course!"

Later that day in study hall, Violet was working on her biology homework while Tony was writing something. Earlier she had asked to see it but he'd shook his head and told her, "It's nothing, just something for English."

This made her slightly suspicious but she decided not to press the issue and went back to her homework. Several minutes later Tony got up to sharpen his pencil and Violet couldn't resist sneaking a look at the paper. All she could read before he got back were two lines: "_The shadow is changing me/And I cannot stop it._"

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_The shadow is changing me/And I cannot stop it. _Violet mused over the lines for the rest of the day. What could they mean? Maybe a literal shadow...but it didn't make sense. _You change your shadow, it doesn't change you. I don't understand..._

She confronted Tony on the bus ride home. "What does your poem mean, Tony? What is 'the shadow'?"

His eyes widened, resembling a deer caught in a car's headlights. "How - how do you know about that?"

"I looked at your paper during study hall. Tony, I know something's going on with you. Please tell me. I want to help." Her blue eyes pleaded with him.

But Tony shook his head. "I'm sorry, Violet, but I can't tell you."

Slumping down into the seat, Violet sighed. "Okay. But I can keep a secret, Tony. If you ever need me I'm here."

Tony looked at her and saw she was serious. "Vi, I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

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Reviews are happy things. Believe me.


	3. A Piece of the Puzzle

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, Shaded-Sky, gohanandvidelover, DJ Dynamite, RubyVulpix, and CountessMorgana for reviewing!

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**Chapter 2: A Piece of the Puzzle**

Lying on her bed at home, Violet thought hard about what she had discovered. The shadow is changing me...

Wait. Violet sat bolt upright. Maybe "the Shadow" was a person! Someone blackmailing Tony into doing something he wouldn't normally do. Immediately Violet ran downstairs where her father was watching the evening news and called, "Dad! Was there ever a villain you fought called 'the Shadow'?"

"No, no supervillains." said her dad, eating a handful of chips. Disappointed, Violet headed back toward the stairs. Then Bob Parr continued, "But there was a thief I caught that was pretty well known, called himself 'the Shadow'. That was just before I married your mother. Haven't I ever told you that story?"

Nodding, Violet replied, "Yeah, but you never told us his name."

"Actually I didn't even know I'd caught 'the Shadow' until the paper came out the next day." Bob took a swig of root beer from a can on the table beside the couch. "That guy was bad news, though. It's lucky I found him and put him away."

"Yeah." agreed Violet. "Thanks, Dad."

She climbed the stairs slowly, her mind whirling with the new information she'd received. Maybe Tony and this Shadow were friends, and the Shadow was making Tony do something for him. At least now she had some facts to go on.

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For the rest of the week Violet saw Tony at school, but he almost seemed to be avoiding her. It was frustrating, especially when Violet had the question about the Shadow to answer.

Finally on Friday she stopped him in the hallway and said, "Tony, you've been avoiding me all week. I have something to ask you and don't you dare lie or run away again."

A flicker of panic flashed in Tony's eyes, but he nodded. "Go ahead."

"Do you know someone called 'the Shadow'?"

Sighing, Tony met her eyes with a defeated expression. "Yes."

"Who is he? I know he's doing something to you, and I want to stop it. Come on, Tony, trust me!"

Looking around nervously, Tony grabbed Violet's hand and pulled her into the janitor's closet nearby. No one was around to see them duck into it.

He turned on the light and gazed into her eyes. "Okay, listen, Vi. I can't tell you about the Shadow because he made me promise not to, and I don't want to put you in danger."

Violet had to grind her teeth to resist hissing, But I'm in danger every day! I'm a super! But she didn't - she knew telling Tony her secret would be disastrous. Instead she sighed and asked him, "Are you ever going to tell me? Like if you get into a lot of trouble with this guy?"

"Maybe," said Tony softly. "I - I just couldn't stand it if the Shadow did something to you because I told you about him." He kissed her gently and continued, "If things get too bad I'll tell you, I promise."

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Dang, these chapters end up shorter than I thought they'd be. Sorry about that. Reviews are appreciated.


	4. Caught!

Thanks to Shaded-Sky, The Star Swordsman, CountessMorgana, 100Insane, and Danielle for reviewing!

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**Chapter 3: Caught!**

It was Saturday night, and Violet was in her room reading a book. All was quiet, except for the sounds of the night: crickets, frogs, and the like. Then she heard a weird thump that was definitely not a nocturnal sound. It sounded like it had come from the next house over. The strange thing about that was that their next-door neighbors, the Dillons, were gone on vacation. _I'd better check this out._

Violet turned invisible, slipped on her supersuit and mask and crept out the front door. Her parents were watching TV in the living room and Dash was playing a video game, so no one saw her leave.

The door of the house next door was locked, but Violet could hear someone walking around inside. Looking around, she saw that one of the windows was open a crack._ So we've got a burglar on our hands._

Slipping in through the open window and landing lightly on the kitchen floor, Violet began to seek out the burglar. She could hear him packing stuff into something. _Good, he's busy. I can sneak up on him and catch him now._

One silent step at a time she slunk toward him. As Violet came closer to the burglar she could see that he was taller than she, but only by a few inches. He was wearing all-black clothing and had a mask much like her own covering his face. His hair was the only part of him that was not black - it was a ginger color, like pale burnt orange. Violet only knew one person with hair like that...

"Tony?"

The burglar whirled around, his eyes large and fearful. "Who's there?"

She had forgotten she was still invisible. Reappearing, she gazed at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"How do you know my name?" he asked, clearly shell-shocked. "Aren't you Invisigirl?"

"Yes. Tony, why are you doing this?" asked Violet, ignoring his first question. "Is someone making you? I know you're not really like this."

Now Tony looked absolutely terrified. "If you're trying to scare me, you're doing a good job..."

"Come on, Tony, how can you not know who I am?" Violet asked, somewhat annoyed. "Look at me. Tell me you don't know who I really am."

And Tony did. He looked at her long black hair, her large blue eyes, and her face. He stared at her for an impossibly long time. Then, finally, he whispered, "Violet?"

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" said Violet sarcastically. "Are you going to answer my questions or not? You might as well, now that I know what you're doing."

Tony still looked shocked. "Vi - you're...Invisigirl."

"Yes. I am." replied Violet. "And you have to promise me not to mention this to anyone, or I'll rat you out about this." She gestured to the sack of valuables Tony was holding in one hand.

"I won't, I promise." Shaking his head, Tony asked her, "So...if I were to say I had a crush on Invisigirl, you wouldn't be mad?"

Smiling, Violet went over and hugged him. "No, I wouldn't be." As she released him her eyes grew serious again. "Tony, tell me what's going on. Please."

"Not here. I have to report to the Shadow first." Winking at her, Tony set the bag on the ground. "I think I'll tell him there was nothing good at this house."

At that moment, Violet wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and kiss him, but she knew this wasn't the time or place for it.

"I'll be back in a half hour," promised Tony, starting to climb out the window. "Look for me under your window."

"Goodbye." Watching him go, Violet felt her heart skip a beat just like it had when she'd first set eyes on him. _I always knew you were a good guy, Tony Rydinger._

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I'm sorry, but I can't bear to make Tony a villain... Reviews are good things._  
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	5. Explanations

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, Shaded-Sky, RubyVulpix, CountessMorgana, and becca for reviewing! Sorry for the wait, I was busy this weekend.

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**Chapter 4: Explanations**

True to his word, Violet heard tapping on her window about thirty minutes later. Fortunately, Tony wouldn't have to pull any Spiderman-like stunts; Violet's bedroom was on the first floor. Violet decided she'd have a little fun with Tony anyway. She opened the window, removed the screen, and called down, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Tony sounded like he was trying not to burst out laughing. "I'm down in the bushes. The ladder broke!" He grabbed hold of her windowsill and pulled himself into her room. "Are your parents anywhere around? Will they hear us if we're quiet?"

"Quiet doing what?" asked Violet, raising an eyebrow. "You don't mean..."

"No!" Blushing, Tony shook his head. "I came to tell you about the Shadow, that's all. I just don't think your parents would be very happy if they found me in here with you now, especially your dad."

"Okay. Just making sure." Violet sat down on her bed and Tony plopped down next to her. "Spill, please. Now."

Taking a deep breath, Tony began, "Well, when my dad was a child, he lived on the streets for a while because his family was poor and couldn't always afford to stay in hotels or apartments. He learned to steal food and money and became very good at it. In his teenage years he coined a name for himself: the Shadow, the greatest thief ever. He began burglarizing any houses he could find. That lasted for 10 years, until...Mr. Incredible caught him one night and left him for the cops to find."

Pausing in his story, Tony gazed into his girlfriend's eyes. "If you ever say the name 'Mr. Incredible' in his presence, Dad goes berserk. Anyway, after that the police locked him up, and after he got out he met Mom, married her, and they had me. Ever since I could walk, practically, Dad's been teaching me how to creep silently through places and snitch things without being noticed. But he didn't make me actually break into any place until about a year ago..."

"He's turning you into him!" gasped Violet, laying her hand over his. "Oh, Tony," she whispered.

"Dad calls me the 'Shadow Prince'. He says I'm a chip off the old block," muttered Tony. "But I don't want to do this, Vi. I don't want to live like Dad did. He didn't even get back into stealing until Mom died."

Violet suddenly remembered that Tony's mother had passed away from cancer when he was in fifth grade. "Did she...know?"

"No. Dad never told her about any of his past. He made up a really good story about how he was framed, he'd never hurt a fly, yadda yadda yadda. And she believed him to her dying day."

As she put an arm around his shoulder Violet felt her heart break for him. "You dad thinks you like this?"

"My dad doesn't listen," replied Tony sadly. "He's so happy that I have the same 'talent' for burglary as he does that he won't listen to me anymore. All he talks about is how I'll be just like he was in his prime. I can't make him understand that I don't want to be like him!" Burying his face in his hands, he moaned, "How do I get out of this, Vi?"

Attempting to comfort him with a hug, Violet silently wondered the same thing.

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You know what I'm gonna say...oh yes, and also I must credit my dear friend Meghan for rewriting about 4 lines of Violet and Tony's dialogue because she thought it sounded a bit risque (although I didn't intend it to).


	6. Just A Dream

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, RubyVulpix, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing! I'm sorry this chapter's so short, guys. I'm gonna try really hard to get the next one up tomorrow, and it will be longer!

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**Chapter 5: Just A Dream**_  
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_In her dream Violet was surrounded by darkness. She could see and hear nothing, except for her own breathing. Where am I? she wondered. It was as if she was in an endless tunnel._

_Suddenly she saw a light far away. Something told her not to go toward it, but she began walking anyway. After what seemed like an eternity she passed into the area where the light was coming from._

_Actually, it wasn't that much brighter. There was a single candle in the room, sitting on a table. Violet looked around and gasped. This was a prison._

_"Violet," said a soft voice behind her. Spinning around in terror, she stared deep into familiar gray eyes._

_"Tony?" she whispered in horror._

_Nodding, he looked at her sadly through the bars of a jail cell. "Help me out of here, Violet. It wasn't my fault. Help me..." As Tony spoke she could see that he was beginning to fade from her view._

_"No! Tony, no! Don't go, I can help you! Don't leave me!" sobbed Violet as the darkness engulfed her again._

She woke up in a cold sweat, shaking and crying. The horror at finding Tony behind bars was fresh in her mind, and Violet shuddered. Was her dream a vision of what was to come? Would Tony end up in jail just like his father?

_No!_ That couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it happen. Shaking her head, Violet forced the dream to a dark corner of her mind. _Forget it! It was just a dream...just a dream._

Or was it?

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Once again, I apologize for lack of length. (you know, I just realized this chapter's title is also the title of a favorite song of mine) Anyhow, reviews are appreciated.


	7. We'll Think of Something

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, RubyVulpix, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing!

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**Chapter 6: We'll Think of Something**

The next morning Violet still felt the chilling effect of her dream from the previous night. All day long she couldn't get it out of her head. When Tony came to pick her up for their date, Violet immediately said, "I have to tell you about the dream I had last night!"

"Did it have to do with..." Tony didn't finish the thought, but Violet knew he meant the Shadow.

Nodding, she started down the driveway with him. "I dreamed that you were in jail and I couldn't help you."

"Weird," replied Tony. "But it might come true eventually. Dad's making me do another break-in tonight."

Violet looked concerned. "Tony, you've got to tell your dad about this. I think he needs counselling or something - didn't you say he didn't start stealing again until after your mom died?"

Tony nodded, his eyes sad. "Yeah. One day we're at Mom's funeral, the next thing I know there's a bagful of diamonds hidden behind the hamburger in the freezer."

"The freezer?" Violet looked at him incredulously.

Grinning sheepishly, Tony replied, "In case of fire. When I found out about it in fourth grade, I thought it was so awesome I didn't think about anything else for days. Dad remembered, I guess. Plus, who'd think to look _there_ for stolen jewels?"

"True. But my point is that your dad's streak of thievery was triggered by the tragedy of your mother's death. I think you should talk to him about it - if you don't, this will just get worse."

"I know, but how do I? He can't talk about anything except how much I'm like him. Talking to him is impossible."

"We'll think of something," Violet said. "I'm not going to let you end up in jail."

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Violet thought for a long time that night about what to do. Unfortunately, in all her thinking she failed to come up with any ideas. All her late night earned her were two black bags under her eyes and a zombielike state of consciousness at school the next day.

"Psst! Violet! What's wrong with you?" hissed Tony when Violet began dozing off in World History class. "Wake up or Coffin's gonna give you detention!"

"Huh?" Blinking sleepily, Violet looked at him with glazed-over eyes. "Sorry." She yawned. "I couldn't sleep last night. Too busy thinking."

Tony's eyes gleamed playfully. "About me?"

"Yes, actually. But not like that," replied Violet, smiling back. "I was thinking about your, um, problem..."

A voice cut into their conversation. "Rydinger! Parr! You want to share it with the class?" It was Mr. Coffin.

"No." Violet blushed.

"Then quiet down. Anyway, the ancient Egyptians..."

Tony grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled, _Did u come up w/ anything?_

Violet wrote back, _No, sorry..._

_It's ok. U shouldn't b losing sleep over my problem anyway._

_Mayb not, but ur probs r my probs, Tony!_

_Thanx Vi._

Tony smiled at her, and even though she was exhausted Violet felt a warm feeling spread through her.

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Cuteness! I love fluff. Yes, I did intend for their notes to be shortened like that. Anyway, reviews are good things.


	8. On A Mission

I'm really sorry for not updating for so long! Thanks to Shaded-Sky, The Star Swordsman, RubyVulpix, becca, and Afalstein for reviewing!

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**Chapter 7: On A Mission**

"Do you know where your dad is sending you?" Violet asked Tony after class.

"The Harrison-Bennett estate, up in Riverdale." Tony made a face. "Even the name sounds stuck-up. I've told Dad a thousand times that there's sure to be dozens of guards with huge dogs, but he just laughed and said, 'It's been taken care of, son. Don't worry about a thing.'"

Frowning, Violet replied, "That doesn't sound good."

"No, it doesn't. Why'd you wanna know?"

"Oh, no reason." Of course she was lying. Just a moment before class was released Violet had come up with a plan. That night she was going to follow Tony out to the estate and stop him from robbing it.

Maybe it was dangerous, but she didn't care. For Tony she'd do anything.

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Darkness was just beginning to blanket the town of Metroville. Most people were either watching their favorite TV show or eating dinner. Not many cars were out on the road - except for a black sedan cruising down a back country road.

Both passengers wore black, and one was shorter and thinner than the other. He wore a black mask over his face and wore black gloves. The taller one began talking to his companion.

"When you get to the house, there'll be a window open on the far right side of the east wall. You should be able to just climb through it."

The smaller one, a teenager, frowned. "Won't a guard see me?"

"No, they've been...taken care of," replied the man smoothly. "Don't worry about it. Just do what I told you to do. You can do it, Shadow Prince." For the first time the man grinned. He punched the boy's arm playfully.

"I know, Dad." The boy smiled half-heartedly, but his gray eyes looked sad.

When the sedan reached the gates of a fine estate, the boy got out and slipped through a thin gap between the bottom of the gate and the ground. He crept through the grass like a native, barely making any noise. All was still. The stars twinkled like diamonds in the ebony sky.

No light came from the large house at the end of the long driveway. Even though it was just past nine PM, obviously everyone inside was asleep or would be soon. _Good. This'll be a cinch_, thought the boy.

Just as his father had said, on the east wall a window was open. It was barely an inch-wide crack, but the boy wiggled it until it slid open the rest of the way and slipped inside.

He landed on the floor of a huge kitchen and proceeded to the entry hall. A large portrait of a serious-looking man with short black hair and a large mustache was hanging on the wall, so that it was the first thing visitors saw. Glancing at the portrait, the boy whispered, "Sorry, dude, I have to do this."

Gently, he pulled on the gold frame and it slid out from the wall as if on hinges. Actually, it was on hinges. Behind the man's portrait was a small locked safe.

The boy put his ear to the safe and began turning the lock. After a moment his ears caught an almost imperceptible click. _Yes._ He kept going until the lock popped open and he was able to open the safe's door.

_Wow!_ There were several pieces of golden jewelry, and some silver too. But the item he was sent for, the item his eye was immediately drawn to, was a huge brooch with a sparkling emerald jewel in its center. For a moment he could do nothing but stand and stare at it wide-eyed, awestruck.

Then he got hold of himself again and grabbed the brooch, stuffing it into his pocket. His heart was pounding like crazy and he thought he might throw up. _Oh, please please please don't let anybody hear me..._

"Tony, please don't do this."

The boy started. The voice seemed to come from right behind him, yet there was no one there...

"Violet? I know you're there. Come out!" called Tony softly.

She suddenly appeared next to him, wearing her super suit but not her mask.

"What are you _doing?_" he hissed.

"I could ask the same question of you," replied Violet, crossing her arms. "You're not really going to do this, are you?"

Sighing, Tony said in an exasperated tone, "I _have_ to, Vi. We've been through this before. Dad is making me do these break-ins..."

"And you're _letting_ him!" she finished forcefully. "Why don't you stand up to him, Tony?"

"Because he is weak!" said a deep voice from the shadows. The two teenagers spun around to see a tall man dressed in black was standing behind them.

"Dad!" gasped Tony.

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I hope the next update will be sooner than 8 days, unlike this one. Reviews are appreciated.


	9. Trouble

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, rockon657, RubyVulpix, Shaded-Sky, and Speaker of the Dragons for reviewing! Dang it, I tried to make this chapter longer but I don't think it worked. Grr. Oh well, hope you like anyway!_  
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**Chapter 8: Trouble**_  
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_Previously_

_"Why don't you stand up to him, Tony?"_

_"Because he is weak!" said a deep voice from the shadows. The two teenagers spun around to see a tall man dressed in black standing behind them._

_"Dad!" gasped Tony._

The man looked back at his son as if he were a scientist looking at a bug under a microscope. "Son," he said finally. "Who is this?"

"I am Invisigirl," Violet replied. "Mr. Rydinger..."

"How do you know who I am?" snapped the man, cutting off what she'd been going to say. "Wait, I know who you are! You're that girl my son's so hopelessly smitten with. Violet, am I right?"

Silently rebuking herself for not bringing along her mask, she nodded slowly and unwillingly.

"Well, I have no time to deal with you. I have to talk with Anthony." Stepping closer to his son, Mr. Rydinger slapped Tony's face quite suddenly. "Stupid boy. What do you think you're doing? Put the brooch in the bag and let's go!"

Tony had not reacted when his father had slapped him, not even with a whimper. Now he only whispered, "No."

"_What?_" roared Mr. Rydinger. "Anthony, do what I say!"

"No." Tony's steely gray eyes met his father's identical ones. "I'm not going to let you push me around anymore. I don't want to do this, Dad."

Rage was filling his father's face. "Do it! Grab the brooch now! Or..." Quicker than anyone could blink he had his fingers wrapped around Violet's arm. "I take her."

"Where?" asked Tony in a mocking tone. Clearly he wasn't worried about his father's threat. "If you hid her in the house I'd find her."

Mr. Rydinger looked even more angry, if that was possible. "I have a place to keep her. But you won't have to worry about it if you will simply grab the brooch."

"No," said Tony again. "I won't let you keep using me like a puppet. Now I'm going to say what I've been wanting to say for a year, Dad: I don't want to be the 'Shadow Prince'. I don't want to live my life like you did yours."

If Anthony Rydinger Sr. had been enraged before, he was livid now. "_You...will...do...what...I...say,_" he growled, gripping Violet's arm so tightly that the skin around his fingers turned white. "Or you will pay for it."

"Listen, Dad. Violet didn't do anything. Let go of her." Now Tony was beginning to become annoyed. "This is between us, not her - leave her out of it."

A harsh laugh came from his father. "Why should I? She's my asset. Simply giving her up would be madness."

Looking nervously from Tony to his father, Violet wished she was anywhere but here.

"Anthony, do it!" snapped Mr. Rydinger. "Or I go, and take her with me!"

Tony stood for a moment, thinking. As she watched him, for a fleeting moment Violet couldn't help wishing that he would listen to his father and grab the brooch, if only to save her.

Immediately she felt awful. _No!_ She mentally slapped herself. No matter how romantic that would be, she knew it wouldn't be the right thing for Tony to do. _Tony, don't do it! Don't steal the brooch. I'll be okay, don't listen to your dad, please!_

Finally he spoke, directly to her. He looked absolutely miserable. "Violet," he whispered, "please believe that I love you." _I'm sorry,_ his eyes said. _Please, please forgive me for this!_

In reply she gave him the tiniest of nods, and that was all he needed. As quick as lightning Tony leapt over and pushed the button marked BURGLAR ALARM that was strategically placed right by the front door. A loud shrieking filled the entire house, and the three heard stirring sounds and shouting from the upstairs rooms.

Mr. Rydinger swore loudly. "Come on!" he snarled, yanking Violet off her feet roughly and forcing the front door open. Then they were gone, leaving Tony to stand alone in the entry hall as if neither of them had ever been there. Through all the noise Tony heard the sound of an engine outside starting.

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Oh boy. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do next...I'm thinking I might have Mr. Rydinger kill Violet though. And no, I'm not kidding.

Anyway, on to brighter topics, I appreciate your reviews. And any ideas you may have for this story that don't involve killing off one of my favorite characters.


	10. The Search Is On

I'm very sorry about the long wait! School keeps getting in the way...grr. Anyway, thanks to The Star Swordsman, RubyVulpix, Shaded-Sky, and opinion8ed14 for reviewing!**  
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**Chapter 9: The Search Is On**

After the police arrived and took Tony to the station, he was subjected to many questioning sessions and he persisted in saying that he'd stolen nothing. Of course he was telling the truth, and the police checked him over but found him clean; however, they continued to push for explanations as to why he was in the mansion.

"I told you already," Tony had repeated many times. "My dad made me go inside with him so I'd get caught and not him."

Of course this was a fib on Tony's part, but it was less complicated than explaning everything which he definitely did not want to do at that moment. Because the police couldn't prove anything and Tony was underage, finally he was released around midnight with a stern warning. He was so glad to get out he wouldn't really have cared if they insisted on shaving his head before allowing him to leave. The only thing he could think of was Violet.

Where had his father taken her? What was he doing to her? How was he going to find her? What would happen if he _didn't_ find her?

By the time Tony was back at his house, his head was spinning faster than if he'd been on a runaway carousel. As the sun rose over Metroville, he collapsed onto his bed and was instantly out cold.

-----

Tony slept fitfully, and when he woke up he still had no idea how he was going to rescue Violet, or even where to begin. Obviously Mr. Rydinger had made good on his threat, since he was nowhere to be found in the house.

Sitting down to think for a moment, Tony wondered where his father had taken Violet. He didn't think he would have bothered to take her out of the city, so he decided to go look around downtown Metroville.

Even though it was Tuesday morning, it was still early enough that the driver of the city bus he boarded wasn't suspicious of the teenage boy wearing ruffled clothes who sat in one of the far back seats. He was able to get off in the downtown area of the city without difficulty. Immediately he headed for the "shady" side of Metroville, where most of the hobos resided.

It was decidedly darker and dirtier there than Tony was used to, with more crude-looking houses and buildings. Several people gave Tony odd looks as he ventured deeper into the area. However, he ignored them - focusing on a small abandoned-looking warehouse that looked suspicious.

After looking around quickly, he ducked into the door to check inside. "Violet, are you in here?" he whispered. Silence greeted him. But it was a small warehouse, and even behind the huge stacks of boxes Tony heard someone's heavy breathing.

"Violet! Is that you?" Tony called again. No movement, but the heavy breathing continued. "If it is, don't move! I'm trying to get back there!"

He wiggled his way through the junk in the warehouse until finally he was close to the area where he thought the noise was located. "Violet?"

But it wasn't Violet. It was the farthest thing in the world from being Violet Parr. It was, in fact, Anthony Rydinger Sr., standing in a dark corner staring at him with dark angry eyes.

"Dad!" hissed Tony through gritted teeth. "Where's Violet? You still have her, don't you? Tell me where she is!"

"Look for her," said Mr. Rydinger in a ragged voice. "I'm not going to tell you."

Sighing in exasperation and trying to restrain himself from beating his father to a pulp, Tony turned his back on his father...and gasped when he saw what was in the other corner.

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ARG! I thought this chapter would be longer...I'm really sorry about that. Even if you're fed up with me for that, I'd appreciate your review.


	11. Free

Thanks to Shaded-Sky, RubyVulpix, The Star Swordsman, JustWriter2, and SmarterThanYou for reviewing! And sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy this.

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**Chapter 10: Free**

Violet lay there, stretched out on her back. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. The first thought that came to Tony's mind was, _He's killed her! She's dead! No!_

Collapsing to his knees, he grabbed her wrist and felt desperately for a pulse. "_No!_ Violet, don't be dead, baby, _please!_"

There was a pulse - faint and somewhat weak, but it was there. Tony almost fainted as relief flooded through him. _Thank God!_

Then he turned to his father and stared at him like he was trying to bore a hole through him. "You tried to kill her," he said incredulously. "You tried to kill Violet."

"No." Mr. Rydinger shook his head. "I did not try to kill her. I was merely trying to shut her up."

"How did you do it?"

Holding up a large wooden board, Mr. Rydinger shrugged. "She'll be fine, maybe have a headache for a few days..."

"I can't believe you!" yelled Tony. "You made me break into dozens of houses and steal from innocent people; you let me, your own son, get carted off my the police after this latest break-in; and now you've kidnapped my girlfriend and knocked her unconscious!"

Nodding, his father replied, "Yes. But I could have done worse to her."

"You're going to jail for what you _did_ do! No one hurts my girl and gets away with it." Tony looked so outraged that Mr. Rydinger took a step back.

A soft cough came from behind them. Whirling around, Tony saw that Violet was sitting up and looking at her surroundings with wide, terrified eyes. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"Violet!" Tony knelt down and helped her up, then hugged her gently. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Tony? What are you doing here?"

"Later. Right now we need to get out of here." He glared at his father. "And you're going to let us go, right? Because..." Thinking desperately, he suddenly remembered Violet's cell phone. "Vi has her cell phone and she can call the cops on him if you don't. Plus if he tries anything else I'm going to knock him down."

His father glared nastily at him but didn't move out of his corner. Letting Violet lean on him and hold onto his arm, Tony headed for the warehouse's door. He didn't think of what might happen when he turned his back on his father.

There was a flash of intense pain on the back of his head, then a scream, and then everything went black.

-----

_Ohhh...where am I?_

Tony opened his eyes and found himself tucked into a large bed covered with a white sheet. _What happened? Where's Violet? And Dad, what happened to him?_

Looking around, Tony realized he was in a hospital room and wearing a green plastic hospital gown. No one else was in the room, but he could hear people walking through the hallway. As he moved his head Tony felt something odd on it - reaching up, he realized it was a cast-like bandage. "Violet?" he called softly, surprised to find that his voice was slightly hoarse.

"Oh good, you're awake!" said a cheery voice that was definitely not Violet's. A large smiling nurse came into the room and checked his pulse. "We were worried for a while that you weren't going to pull through, but I just knew you'd be okay!"

Privately Tony nicknamed this overly cheerful nurse "Miss Sunshine". "Do you know where my father and Violet are?"

"Well, your father can't come to see you right now," replied Miss Sunshine, and her smile faltered for an instant. But then it returned in full force as she continued, "But there is a girl named Violet in the waiting room who's been asking about you. Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yeah," mumbled Tony. "Can I see her?"

"Of course you can!" Smiling even wider, Miss Sunshine almost skipped out of the room. Inwardly, Tony breathed a sigh of relief - Miss Sunshine had been making him sick.

In about two minutes Miss Sunshine came back with Violet following her. "Here she is!" the woman chirped. Behind her, Tony saw Violet making a face, and he had to try very hard to keep from laughing.

When Miss Sunshine was gone Violet walked over and sat down on the end of his bed. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Grinning, Tony said jokingly, "Are you kidding? I feel like a million bucks!"

"Very funny." Violet smiled.

"What happened to me?" asked Tony. "Dad hit me, didn't he?"

Nodding, Violet took his hand. "Oh, Tony, it was _horrible_. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen! I was so afraid he was going to hurt me and take you away. It's a good thing I had my cell phone - I hid behind a stack of boxes in the warehouse and called the police."

"What did they do with him?" He knew already, but he couldn't quite believe it.

"After they saw what he'd done to you, they hauled him off to jail without asking any questions," Violet was smiling again. "I think you're finally free, Tony."

_Free._ The word sounded so strange to Tony - he hadn't said or thought it in such a long time. But now he would no longer live under his father's forceful training. He would no longer have to be the "Shadow Prince".

"Thank you," he whispered to Violet. "You saved me."

"I think we saved each other," replied Violet, leaning over to give him a gentle kiss on the lips.

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Of course I _could _just end it here, but I'm not going to. There are going to be 2 more chapters, I think. Reviews are wonderful things and they will make me update sooner.

Oh, and sadly Tony's million bucks line is not a creation of mine, it comes from the movie Hoot. So don't applaud me for making it up or anything cause I didn't.


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